MESA, Ariz. — The media stakeout at the front of the Cubs’ complex had lasted hours by the time the dark silver Ford Explorer pulled into a parking space at 11:14 a.m. and Yu Darvish emerged from the passenger seat.

At least seven TV cameras were waiting in position on Tuesday beneath the Arizona sunshine. Reporters held up their phones trying to get the shot of the Japanese pitcher that would go viral on Twitter.

Joel Wolfe, the veteran agent who helps run Wasserman’s baseball group, followed Darvish through a side door into the building. You never could have predicted this kind of entrance, announcing a six-year, $126 million megadeal on the day pitchers and catchers reported with a team that had been on Darvish’s limited no-trade list last season.

“The Cubs — they know how to recruit a player,” Wolfe said. “It’s like the University of Alabama. They go the extra mile.”

If Alabama is a football factory, then the Cubs are trying...

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